Vivendi
Universal Games (VU Games) announced today that, in conjunction with Relic
Entertainment, it will release a sneak-peak to Homeworld(r)2, the sequel to
1999's award-winning, space-based real-time strategy game, tomorrow.

The demo will include looks at both the single- and multi-player campaigns of
Homeworld 2, including the tutorial mission, two single-player missions, and two
multiplayer missions, which will be playable over both LAN and the GameSpy
network.

"We recognize that our community's support of Homeworld 2 is both
incredibly valuable and vital to the success of this game," said Chris
Mahnken, producer of Homeworld 2. "The community has been requesting a demo
of the game for many months now, and we are proud to be able to deliver it to
them."

The 141 MB Homeworld 2 demo will be released via the VU Games website tomorrow.
The company will also make the demo available to all press and community sites
that wish to host it.

That's why I'm saying publishers shouldn't be in charge of PR. They have no passion or connection the actual product. The developer does, he/she puts emotion, spirit, and skill into the product. The developer cares about not necessarily the end result - profit - but actually the artistic value and aesthetic quality of the final product - something that only the user/player can judge. The publisher sees a profit and considers that a win scenario - whereas the developer may see all the criticism or lack of support and think the product is a disgrace. Let the developers take over and control the publisher, it's the only answer to the problems of quality and poor support. It's all upside down right. Until developers start making all the final decisions in every respect of the game, we will continue to see a decline in quality, support, and PR. As it is now, a customer is a mere tool for profit for the publisher, but for the developer the customer is what the game is all about.